Reading 2 Alexander,B. (2006, March/April)
I've got Evernote open and floating while I'm reading the below article. I'm finding this easy to use and next week I intend to try and move,copy,link to a blog.
Web 2.0 A new wave or innovation for teaching and learning.
Down to dial up speed as have over cooked the stated amount. Phoned in to increase but up north good things take time. Will also look at increasing the speed of the broad band. But at what cost?
In the opening statement Alexander mentions that perhaps Web 2.0 label is just that, and the concepts,projects and practices are of greater importance.
I agree with him here that Web 2.0 used to effect in communicating projects, expressing concepts and visible through practice has created a major shift in the pedagogical approaches in higher education.
Concepts
So if Wikis are all about user modification, then what/where/when are these used in learning/teaching? How does allowing students/teachers to modify, change the way in which learning happens? What is also of interest here is how, if at all, was/has this done in the past?
So allowing blogrolling (need to look up the definitive meaning of this) , hyperlinking and also discussion threads forms a new social learning/teaching experience. Only by being part of this new practice can one reflect on its true value. Seeing might be believing but participating is even more convincing.
The second paragraph was one of the light bulb being turned on experience for me. Alexander explains that Blogs are not looked upon as pages in a book but rather as post of microcontent.
His explanation of Wikis also helps clarify in my mind there purpose. I have not as yet created a Wiki but have experienced what they look like, but as stated above I have a desire/need now to participate in the using of.
We have a new course starting in 3 weeks that should dovetail well into this new wave of innovation. Having an understanding firstly of the concepts is helping me to sketch out the framework of how this might come-about.
So that's what Folksonomy is all about! I've wondered about Tags and have only just begun to understand what the main purpose/reason for these are. Alexander gave an example that I can now relate to. Also why the use of del.icio.us as a reminder is explained in context. My understanding of this is starting to make clear links now. Were as perhaps reading this, as close as two weeks ago, would not have help with the linking.
Projects and Practices
My thanks goes out to Joshua Schacter, for firstly seeing the need and then for creating del.icio.us. The social bookmarking application has come up in conversation over the past several weeks. I now intend to investigate installing this into my system next week. Alexander has again helped me to understand. So Del.icio.us is a folkonomic site! So the use of this needs to be investigated in the framework. Or perhaps another... have a look in Wikipedia under social bookmarking.
I remember back in time Richard Elliot would send us/me emails with links and points of interest. Oh if he could only have had access to social bookmarking!
Again Alexander explains to me clearly how might social bookmarking play a role in higher education with five examples.
Wikis... Having started to blog with the group of students using Vox, which allowed groups to be formed, so isolating others, or perhaps another way of looking at this is allowing a focus group to happen. But... Vox closed down and so the shift to TypePad. This has I think created new problems, but an opportunity for creating a Wiki might be raising its head.
Blogs again here my understanding of there use by firstly myself... connecting people through a shared topic, vocabulary, or interest in information.
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